Create awareness about the distortion of information on social media
Md. Syful Mia :
We are now living in an age of technological excellence. Nowadays, technology has a great impact on people’s lives, creating relationships with people from one end of the world to the other.
For the benefit of technology, all branches of knowledge are at our fingertips. We are getting any information immediately.
As a result, the scope of human knowledge is increasing day by day. The world is moving towards achieving the goals of the fourth industrial revolution.
It needs to be said at the outset that this revolution is completely technology-dependent. That is why technology is expanding rapidly at the present time.
The use of technology in any work improves the quality of life. This saves labor and time. No one is forced to take advantage of technology, even if they don’t want to. There is no alternative to surviving in the modern, competitive world.
In this sense, it is believed that the need for skilled people in technology will increase unexpectedly in the coming days.
And ‘information’ has emerged as the main driving force of this technology. In consideration of these things, we have to say, ‘Information is the power of the future’.
It can be said that any specific, meaningful message is information. Information is required in the day-to-day work of people.
From a businessman to an employee, a teacher, or a doctor, everyone is directly dependent on information. Information is the key to the success of any business. No one is good at everything.
For this reason, we have to go to the door of information to know various things. Good news: this task has been made easier by ‘technology’. Nowadays, the flow of information has become easier thanks to technology.
Events in various parts of the world are spreading at the moment due to the change in technology. As a result, the scope of people’s knowledge has also increased by leaps and bounds.
Of course, there is something to worry about: ‘information distortion’. Undoubtedly, in recent years, the free flow of information has led to an increase in the presentation of ‘distorted information’.
This trend is spreading panic in public life. It’s creating conflict. In this situation, it becomes very important to ensure the authenticity of the information.
The reliance on newspapers, radio, and television for news is much less than before. They get news from social media. In this context, one of the platforms of information distortion is digital media, or social media.
70 percent of internet users worldwide are connected through social media. Among young people, the rate is even higher-about 90 percent. 80 percent of people who use the internet in Bangladesh have a Facebook account.
Earlier, all the news about the country was published on printed paper, but now there has been a change in this regard. Newspapers are using digital media, especially in the form of video content, to attract audiences.
However, its benefits are not less. Many people may not be interested in reading news on printed paper or do not have time. In this case, video content is attracting many people as a simple and amazing presentation medium.
This is why the demand for video content is also increasing. This is where the problem lies. Various nefarious circles on social media in the hope of more profit, especially Facebook and YouTube, are spreading baseless fake information in video images.
A large number of anonymous Facebook pages and YouTube channels are distorting information for profit.
Most people share these contents on social media without checking their authenticity. It is needless to say that various unexpected events are being created in the country. Posting offensive pictures of someone can have a negative impact on their personal life.
Currently, distortion of information through digital media has become a national problem in many countries around the world, apart from Bangladesh. Distortion of information through digital means is behind political gain, religious incitement, or personal anger. It can create a politically unstable environment in any country.
Religious conflicts between different religious communities can destroy communal harmony and social peace and order. Above all, it can bring down curses in personal life. This distortion of information is a serious threat to future generations.
If this continues and if the distortion of information is not prevented, the biggest loss will be that the common people will not be able to trust the media. They will suffer from ambivalence in distinguishing between truth and falsehood.
So, we need to be very vigilant to protect ourselves and future generations from information distortion. If someone propagates fabricated statements through social media, they must be responded to in a truthful manner.
Ensuring the free flow of information is crucial to ensuring good governance in any country. This is also stated in Article 39 of the Constitution of Bangladesh. However, spreading false, fabricated, and baseless information is punishable.
In this judgment, one cannot withhold or suppress any information if the truth of the information can be ascertained. As a result, there will be relief in civil life. Keeping these issues in mind, the concerned authorities must strictly monitor the security of information through digital means. Mainstream media also have no less responsibility in this regard.
We don’t have to be conscious of using social media right now. Everyone should be aware that no one can spread distortions of information for entertainment or personal interest. Parents will also play an important role. Otherwise, many of our possibilities will be destroyed in the future.
(Writer: Md. Sufian Mia, Student of Islamic History and Culture, University of Chittagong, Mobile: 01869914149)
